In 1470, just before Christmas, two teenagers from England were married in St. Florent Church at Château Amboise. The groom was seventeen, the bride was fourteen. His father was the King of England, hers was a third rank peer.

During the late 1400s there were two queens living in the Royal Château of Amboise. Charlotte of Savoy, Queen of France and Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England.

Where are Holmes, Morse and Lewis when you need them? The magnificent bronze on the banks of the Loire in Amboise poses many riddles.

Queen Bonne of England. Really? Well. Not quite. Nearly though.

Charlotte of Savoy was Marie of Anjou’s nineteen year-old daughter-in-law, Charlotte. They were very similar. Both placid, both accepted the cards Fate dealt them, both loved their husbands and were loyal to them even though they were treated badly.

The Serpent Queen, a televised, fictionalised version of Catherine, is worth watching for the joy of seeing the Châteaux of the Loire in all their magnificent glory. Those of Amboise, Chenonceau, Chambord and Villandry enjoy a lot of air time.

Marie of Anjou was the first Queen of France to live in Château Amboise. She lived there with her daughters. When her son the Dauphin Louis finished his formal education at Château, he joined his mother and sisters there.

The Royal House of Valois (Valois is a region north of Paris). Its emblem, the famous fleur-de-lys, was inherited from the preceding dynasty, The Royal House of Capet.